I was trying not to scream, but I might as well have thrown a full-blown tantrum in the middle of the woods.

"I'm sorry God...but...WHAT? WHERE?"

I felt like God was telling me to go to the Middle East with iEdge for two years but He was forgetting all these important details:

I'm not good enough.I'm too young/inexperienced.I could never raise the money.I have the memory of a goldfish and I never memorized the TMS.. (Am I even a Navigator?!)I could never give up bacon.I'm.not.good.enough.

"Exactly."

Uhhhh..what?

Suddenly my Bible "coincidentally" blew open to Isaiah 55:12-13:"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

I'm not 'good enough'. Neither are you.And none of us ever will be.But that's ok. He's bigger than all our weaknesses. And it will be His glory that shines in the end.

So what's your excuse? Not good enough? Not ready? Don't have it all together? That's ok. Jesus said come as you are....Because HE has IT.

– Kate, 2014 iEDGEr

General iEDGEr Qualifications

We aren’t looking for perfect people but for recent graduates who are…

I entered the fall of my senior year at school feeling, quite honestly, like a spiritual failure - burnt out after a long year abroad, a painfully broken romantic relationship, and a sinking feeling of being stuck, spinning my wheels, in the frustrating struggle for sexual purity.In short, when I heard from my best friend about the iEDGE program, my reaction was mostly one of wistful regret: "I wish that my failures – especially those in the fight for purity – had not disqualified me from this opportunity to follow Christ into the nations," I thought.

From my times in prayer with the Lord, however, I became convinced that He wanted me to apply. I felt sure that, if I did apply, I would be facing hard, shaming conversations and eventually rejection, but I applied, thinking ultimately that God perhaps wanted to humble me in the process.What I discovered was that the Lord is indeed "near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). While the iEDGE application and interview process was thorough and even probing at times, a spirit of love – God's own Spirit – dominated the process.I could tell that the questions asked were asked from a perspective of trying to discern how best to help me live in intimate relationship with the Lord and, from that, be a productive laborer in His kingdom. It was clear that the staff who were forming the various teams were for my good even as they were Kingdom-minded in their long-term vision.

Since joining The Navigators as iEDGE Staff, I have found them to take the charge to spur one another on in love to good works (Hebrews 10:24-25) very seriously. I have had both help and accountability, both loving encouragement and hard conversations, in good measure, and I am grateful to be walking in the light of truth with them to advance the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations.

If you are unsure of whether to apply for iEDGE because of your struggles, past or present, with sexual sin, I would encourage you not to allow the shame associated with that sin to make you feel disqualified from the Great Commission. Rather, first talk with your discipler, your campus director, and the Navigators iEDGE team about the state of your spiritual health – they are for you! – and trust that God will use you in exactly the context He has for you, no matter what, to your good and to His glory.

My thoughts are being challenged every single dayWhat I think, what I do, and even what I sayAlthough I want to fight for what’s rightOld issues once buried are now shed in new lightWhat should I do with these issues anew?I am lost and confused and don’t know what to doHow can I know that what I believe is trueWhen I struggle day-by-day with simply knowing YouI can do all these things that look so greatBut what does that matter if in my heart there is hate?You said that the Law and the Prophets hang on loveBut I can’t love on my own, I need help from aboveLord Jesus, help me to see others through your eyesGive me your wisdom to discern your truth from liesAnd above all else, O Lord, may this I prayGive me your grace to make it through today

In Matthew 16, Jesus makes it very clear that His true identity did not come in revelation to Simon (Peter) because of any human effort but because our Father in heaven ordained it to happen at that moment. I didn't start to really grasp the sovereignty of God over the heart of man until my time overseas.

I had my first taste of evangelism in college and God encouraged me by using me in the lives of others and allowing me to see very tangible results. During my first six months overseas I couldn't even make friends, much less share the Gospel. No matter how many lunches I ate with strangers, how many hours I spent on event flyers, or even how clearly I shared my three-minute testimony - I had no control over the hearts of those I was trying to minister to or over their response.

God allowed the word "manufacture" sit in my heart. He taught me in those two years I do not have the power to make anything happen. I will never be able to manufacture anything when it comes to His children.

It honors me to know that God invited me to share His love with my friends overseas and allowing me to see more of not only His heart but the amazing power only He holds.

Before I went through iEdge I thought of myself as a great person. There were a lot of ways I was faithful to God and to those around me. I looked forward to my time overseas with naively high expectations of myself.

Immersed in the pressure of pioneering a ministry in a foreign culture and closer relationships than I had ever experienced, I saw a more raw and honest picture of myself and I didn't like it.

The sin, the great selfishness I saw in myself was a painful but necessary dose of reality. I held my teammates to impossible standards of understanding me. God showed me that this wasn't new but the way I had approached relationships my entire life.

Two years with my team meant I was forced work through rough patches and both give and receive forgiveness for hurt. It's not hard to be grateful for that now knowing that my pattern of relating to others is transformed for the rest of my life!